Alarmed by cases of thrombosis, six European countries have suspended the use of a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines: what the continental regulator says

Several countries on Thursday suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for fear of blood clots, urging the European medical agency to quickly assure the public that there was no known health risk from the vaccine.

Norway, Denmark e Iceland suspended AstraZeneca vaccine supply on Thursday, while Austria will stop supplying a batch of these vaccines, despite reassuring statements from the EMA and the manufacturer.

Italy also decided discontinue the use of a batch of vaccines against the AstraZeneca coronavirus as a precaution, while four other European countries, –Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia Yes Luxembourg- they suspended the vaccines from a batch of one million vaccines, delivered to 17 countries, among which Italy does not appear.

These countries made the decision after knowing “About severe cases of blood clots in people who have been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine”, according to a Danish statement.

For its part Austria has recorded one death as a result of “serious bleeding disorders”.

The AstraZeneca vaccine hype came when the world turned one year since the official declaration of the pandemic, and threatened to shatter hopes that vaccines would be the way to return to normal life.

The virus has now killed more than 2.6 million people, subjected billions to anti-Covid restrictions and left the global economy in shambles, an unimaginable result at the start of the crisis.

One year later, several countries are seeking to remove restrictions imposed after the second, even the third wave, and seek to increase the launch of vaccines to emerge from the crisis.

But that momentum had a downside on Thursday when Denmark, Norway and Iceland have stopped using the Oxford / AstraZeneca injection because of concerns that it may be linked to blood clots.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) quickly issued a statement aimed at allaying fears.

“The information available to date indicates that the number of thromboembolic events in vaccinated persons is not greater than that observed in the general population”said the EMA.

The United Kingdom, a country that has a successful vaccination campaign, he also spoke, saying the antidote was “safe and effective”.

“When people are asked to come forward and receive it, they must do so with confidence”, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said.

European Union countries want to speed up vaccination campaigns after a slow start, the bloc left the bloc behind the US, Israel and the UK, leaders in the immunization race.

Any further suspension of AstraZeneca could hamper progress, with the EU under pressure to catch up and the populations eager to return to a pre-pandemic reality.

Thursday, Johnson & Johnson single injection vaccine is approved by EMA, which is stored at warmer temperatures than its competitors and is easier to distribute.

“The authorities of the European Union will have another option to fight the pandemic and protect the life and health of its citizensEMA chief Emer Cooke said in a statement.

More optimism was brought by a study under real conditions in Israel which showed that Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines are 97% effective against symptomatic and severe cases of Covid, more than originally thought.

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